Personally, I’m a fan of “snowgasm”

Thanks to [enter clever name for this next DC snowstorm here], I will be leaving work around noon. I think that calls for a little happy dance.

(Start at the 18 second mark.)

What do you mean excessive celebration? It’s a snow (half) day!

And if we get as much as we’re supposed to, tomorrow’s snowball fight will be fantastic.

Hope you have as much fun frolicking as I intend to. Happy weekend!

Next time I’m bringing my laptop

So, I’m just playing catch-up today after being out for jury duty, but, on the whole, the experience? Not so bad.

Think about it:

• I got there at 10:30. I was out by 3:00.

• I still had an hour lunch break.

• I had my books with me, but they were showing movies in the lounge! I ended up watching most of We Are Marshall (I’m a sucker for sports movies based on true stories) and part of Secret Life of Bees.

• And the biggest plus? I didn’t get picked! Never even called out of the jurors lounge. I don’t know what the selection process is, but I like to think that when people see my last name, they just skip over it because it looks too hard. I’m sure that’s the way the courthouse runs.

The only downside was that I didn’t bring my laptop. I mean, the BlackBerry was great, and I enjoyed We Are Marshall, but just think of how many Lost episodes I could have gotten through if left to my own devices!

Lesson learned.

All I can think of is Pauly Shore

After tomorrow, I’ll be able to check something else off of my “things that make me a real adult” list. It’s the kind of list that includes things like doing my own taxes, handling my own health insurance, paying my bills, etc. Except, this time it’s something I’ve never done before.

Tomorrow I have my first ever Jury Duty.

I can’t remember if I’ve ever been summoned before. If I have, it would have been while I was a student in another state, so I never went. But now, I don’t really have an excuse. And, call me naive, but I don’t really want one. I’m actually kind of excited.

The Pros:

• I don’t have to be at the courthouse until 10:30! I get to sleep in!

• I still get paid, so it’s not like I’m losing out on a day’s worth of work.

• It’ll be a change of scenery. Frankly, I’m tired of staring at excel spreadsheets day after day.

• In the same change-of-scenery vein, I imagine that it’ll be excellent people-watching.

The Cons:

• I could potentially get chosen, in which case, the novelty of jury duty will probably wear off.

• I could get bored? I find this unlikely, especially if I bring a book (am I allowed to do that?), but I’ll throw it out there anyway.

But that’s about it. Logically, it seems as though the pros outweigh the cons. Then again, I’ve never done this before, so I have no idea what I’m talking about.

Enlighten me, please. Anyone who’s been summoned, either here in the District or anywhere, really, how was your jury duty experience? And what should I be expecting?

And I’m back in the game

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been having hip pain while running. I’ve also briefly mentioned the miracle that is physical therapy – something that, in the beginning,  I honestly didn’t think would be worth my time. After a few sessions, I was able to run 4-5 miles on the treadmill, albeit slowly. Then, last week, my therapist gave me the go-ahead to get back into my regular routine.

Best news I’d heard all day.

However, my “regular routine” these past few weeks should have included weekend long runs of anywhere from 13-17 miles, as per my marathon training guide. And even I’m not foolish enough to jump right back into training that quickly.

So I did 10.

It wasn’t easy on the snow, and yes, my hip did act up at times, but I made it. And as I was finishing up with a few laps around the park near my apartment – exhausted, cold, and ready to be done – I saw these works of art:

These two remind me of Gumby for some reason.

Simple? Sure. But there’s something contagious about a smile, whether it’s real or not. And the fact that someone took the time to make a smiling grove of trees? Well, it made my last couple miles that much more enjoyable.

It’s all about the little things.

“You can’t put badonkadonk?”

As has become kind of a tradition around here, I have another Friday video for you. But not because I’m cranky this time – I’m actually in a great mood, and pretty excited for the weekend. No, this video is just because I care. Because some friends shared it with me and I believe in paying it forward.

Enjoy.

Side note: If you find Crank Yankers offensive, well, then, this video probably definitely isn’t for you. Also, if you do watch…maybe close your office door/use headphones.

And a little bonus, in case you can’t get enough of Spoony:

“The ho message? Or the whole message?“

Happy weekend!

Yet another time suck (in a good way)

I didn’t used to watch a lot of TV. That is, I didn’t have that many TV shows that I had to see each week. I had a kind of on-again, off-again relationship with Grey’s Anatomy, but it wasn’t serious.

And then came It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And then The League. And Community. (What is it about Thursday nights?) But I was still okay. While those are all quality programs, they also don’t require a whole lot of concentration or outside contemplation.

Then, just the other week, I started watching 24. I’d seen a couple episodes before, but starting from the beginning of the season this time hooked me. And I was hooked in a sit-on-the-edge-of-my-seat, must-pay-attention-lest-I-miss-something sort of way. And I tried to catch up on past seasons by reading recaps on Wikipedia. Because I’m not that invested that I care if past surprises are spoiled. I know I won’t watch all the previous episodes, so why not just try to have a general understanding?

Enter Lost.

Now, I know that I’m way late to the game on this one. And I probably wouldn’t have gotten sucked in, except for one little thing: we caught a repeat of the season five finale the other night, complete with pop-up-video-esque explanatory subtitles. So it didn’t matter that I didn’t have all the background. It was like a crash course.

After it was over, I had to watch the pilot – just to see how it started. And really, that’s all it took.

I borrowed season one and ended up watching, oh, about six episodes last night. Six! I don’t actually have that kind of time!

Laundry needed to be folded; dishes needed to be washed; the apartment needed to be vacuumed…but Lost isn’t the kind of show I feel I can multi-task during. And that says a lot. (I consider myself an excellent multi-tasker.) I just really want to know how the story unfolds.

You’d think I’d do the same thing I did with 24. I’d go to Wiki, read some recaps, and be semi-adequately prepared for the season six premiere on Tuesday. But, somehow, I just can’t bring myself to do it. A recap wouldn’t do it justice.

Which means that I’ll be going through all 103 episodes (well, 95 left now), hour by hour, slowly but surely. Because that’s just the way it has to be done.

I estimate it’ll take about a month.

I’ll see you in March.

On a mini-mission

I have a new goal for this year. Actually, I’m giving it a year, but I have no idea how long it will take. Or if I can even do it. But I’m going to try.

I want to teach myself to be ambidextrous.

There’s a train of thought here, I promise.

The other day I was doing an exercise to help my shin splints that involves using your foot to trace the alphabet in the air, and I realized that it was so much easier with my right foot than my left foot. And then I thought, well, I guess that makes sense, considering I’m right-handed. My right side would be stronger.

But it doesn’t have to be.

I started wondering if I could train myself to be ambidextrous. What if, for an hour or so every day at work, I tried to use my left hand instead of my right? I could switch my mousepad to the other side of my keyboard. I could write my notes with my left hand (of course, not if I’m in a hurry).

Or, at home – brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, eating – could I train myself to do those things left-handed? (For the record, I have, on occasion, tried the brushing. Hair – easy peasy. Teeth – so awkward with the left. Eating….well, that’s just a recipe for disaster.)

So, I’m going to give it a shot. To be honest, I don’t really know that using my left hand will ever be absolutely necessary unless, you know, I break my right arm or something (and I’ve never broken anything – *knock on wood*), but I’d like to have the option.

Plus, if, during softball season, I can throw people off by batting lefty, it’ll all be worth it.

Looking on the bright side

Looking back at the past few weeks of posts, I realized that several of them lean more toward the “Negative Nancy” side of things. It’s all “I’m so cranky” or “it’s so freaking cold!” or “I hate CVS/stupid doctors!” and so on and so forth. And sure, it’s my blog, I can write whatever I want, blabbity blah, but you’d think that I had nothing going right.

If you have me pegged as a pessimist, though, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m actually the most likely person to utter the phrases, “well, at least [insert semi-positive outcome]” or “look on the bright side.”

Yes, I’m that girl. Yes, I know it can get annoying. Yes, I’ve been snapped at before because of it.

But still.

I would much rather be focusing on the positive than on the negative.

For instance:

• I choose to focus on the fact that it was near 60 degrees yesterday morning – and a lovely walk – as opposed to the rainy/overcast skies that persisted throughout the day.

• I prefer to get excited about the fact that I’ve run twice with no pain since my physical therapy started, instead of being bummed that I’m weeks behind on my marathon training. (To be fair, I’m still a little bummed, but I’m working on it.)

• I’m trying to be proud of myself for finishing my grad school applications, instead of anxious about when the decisions will come, and why it’s taking my transcript so long to get there.

• I love falling asleep in my cozy little pillow fort, even if, when I wake up, I always wish I could devote a few more hours to rest.

• And, despite the fact that my job has been driving me crazy the past few days, I’m so thankful that I have one.

There are so many more teeny tiny little things that have both an up and a down side, but that’s just it – there’s always a side I can choose. And choosing the happy path doesn’t mean that I’m ignoring reality. It means that I’m making a conscious decision to put a smile on my face.

I like to think of myself as an optimistic realist. Or a realistic optimist. Same difference.

And the realist/ic part knows that there will always be something to worry about or be annoyed at.

But the optimist/ic part sees the silver lining.

Even if people want to slap me for constantly pointing it out.

So what about you? Would you say you’re an optimist or a pessimist?

Damn, that is a sweet Earth

In case you, like me, are amazed that a four day week could take so freaking long to get to Friday, here’s a little usher-in-the-weekend treat repeat.

I’ve shared it before (you’d probably seen it even before that), but it’s one of my solid go-to videos when I’m slightly on the cranky side, and can’t decide whether I want a nap or a drink.

Fucking kangaroos.

Happy Friday!

I’m rethinking the whole friendly neighbor thing

To the obviously healthy and very capable gentleman who happens to live in my building:

• If I can manage to hold the door open for you, while carrying 4 very heavy grocery bags, I expect you to put a little kick in your step. You were not that far behind. And, like I said, the bags? Not light.

• Also, if I, with the same bags, can manage to hold the elevator door for you, when every part of me wants to jab the “door close” button, as you nonchalantly stroll toward me, then a “thank you” would be nice. Clearly not entirely necessary, but nice. Especially as I press the button for you. You must be exhausted from carrying…practically nothing.

• And, if, at this point, I can restrain myself from not swinging one of my grocery bags at you, when we reach your floor you should really exit immediately. I’m fine with your “have a good night,” but why the extra 10 second linger in the elevator? Are you trying to shame me into being nice(er) after you saw me sigh and shake my head?

Guess what? It won’t work. And all I want to do is get to my room and watch Real World. (Side note: Wtf is wrong with Andrew?)

So look, I’m sorry you caught me on a cranky day, but really, let’s try to move a little faster than a snail’s pace next time. Or maybe I just won’t hold the door anymore.

That works, too.